Lalu Prasad Shaw was born in Bengal in 1937, and completed his education in fine arts at the Government College of Arts and Crafts in Kolkata. He is known for his stylized portraits of Bengali women and couples. His works lay emphasis on his subject`s physical characteristics. He captures the expressions of his subjects perfectly with greatest economy of line and colour. Each of Shaw`s paintings has an intimate feel to it.
He draws his inspiration from nature and the environment surrounding the great Bengali middle class. He often depicts pleasant and quiet scenes from his own life on his canvases. He has a unique style which is modern in its adaptation of academic and traditional Indian formats. His works are mainly executed in gouache or tempera. Simple yet sophisticated look is a notable aspect of Shaw`s paintings. There is a flawless synthesis of different stylistic elements to achieve a phenomenal effect in his paintings.
Shaw has exhibited extensively in India and abroad since 1956, and his works have been a part of prestigious international shows such as the second British Biennale in London, 1970, two Norwegian Print Biennales in 1974 and 1978, the seventh Paris Biennale in 1971 and the second Asian Art Biennale hosted by Bangladesh in 1984.
Solo Exhibitions:
# 1965 Exhb., Art & Industry Gallery, Calcutta.
# 1967 Exhb., Arts & Print Gallery, Calcutta.
# 1976 Exhb., Sarala Art Gallery, Chennai.
# 1980 Exhb., Bangalore and Udupi.
# 1984 Exhb., Art Heritage, New Delhi.
# 1985 Exhb., Dhoomimal Art Gallery, New Delhi.
# 1990 The Seagull Foundation for the Arts, Calcutta.
# 1991 Exhb., CIMA Art Gallery, Calcutta.
# 1995 Drawings, Graphics & Paintings 1970-95, CIMA Art Gallery, Calcutta
Group Exhibitions:
# 2009 `Mark of Masters -2`, Art and soul, Mumbai
# 2009 `Modern Continuous`, Galerie 88, Kolkata
# 2008 `Tales, Reflection and Constructs`, ITC Windsor, Bangalore
# 2007 `High on Art`, Visual Art Gallery, India Habitat Centre, New Delhi
# 2007 `An Evening in Paris....Rome....London`, Gallery Sanskriti, Kolkata
# 2007 `Tales, Reflection and Constructs`, Galerie 88, Kolkata
# 2007 Birla Academy of Art and Culture, Kolkata
Awards received by Lalu Prasad Shaw:
# 1958 Certificate of Merit, Govt. College of Art and Craft, Calcutta.
# 1969 West Bengal State Lalit Kala Akademi Award, Calcutta.
# 1971 National Award, Lalit Kala Akademi, New Delhi.
# 1976, 78 Award, Birla Academy of Art and Culture, Calcutta.
# 1979, 81 Award, All India Graphic and Drawing Exhb. Chandigarh